


So lets try it again

by macwell



Series: Prompts [1]
Category: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Genre: M/M, Mentions of drugs/alcohol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-15
Updated: 2018-01-15
Packaged: 2019-03-05 06:48:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13382418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/macwell/pseuds/macwell
Summary: If Paddy’s belongs to the gang, the apartment belonged to Mac and Dennis.Prompt: How about a oneshot of what's going on through mac's mind as he designs the new apartment?





	So lets try it again

**Author's Note:**

> I'm trying to get out of a writing funk and just answer writing prompts on tumblr without overthinking/overediting things. So by definition the little stories in this series haven't been heavily edited. I still hope people will enjoy them! 
> 
> Title for this one is from the song Liquorice by Alice Jemima. 
> 
> The prompt - "How about a oneshot of what's going on through mac's mind as he designs the new apartment?"

Dennis will be so happy when he sees the apartment. It’s like a phoenix, reborn from the ash, almost exactly the same. Maybe a little cooler than before. The whole bursting into flames and then returning into existence thing is impressive enough for most people. That’s the kind of vibe that Mac’s going for.

—

They dig a shoebox out of Charlie’s closet one day, and the pictures from the the old apartment make Mac’s chest ache unexpectedly - him and Dennis, side by side on the couch, so young and skinny that it’s almost embarrassing. Charlie and Dennis, leaning against the kitchen counter, their smiles dopey with alcohol and their eyes hazy with who-knows-what. Faceless people in the background of the older pictures serve as a reminder that they used to have more friends.

The newer pictures, on Mac’s phone, are more sporadic. They’re mostly pictures of Dennis, looking mildly pissed off, because he likes having total control of his image, and Mac couldn’t think of anything he’d rather take pictures of once he got a fancy camera phone.

There’s one picture, of Dennis in his bedroom laughing at some joke - his dimples are visible and everything. He wouldn’t like it because there are wrinkles around his eyes, and his jawline isn’t quite as crisp as it used to be. Mac refuses to delete it, and maintains that he keeps ahold of it for blackmail purposes.

—

If Paddy’s belongs to the gang, the apartment belonged to Mac and Dennis. Mac’s too afraid of what it might mean to create a wholly new space for them. He doesn’t want anything to feel different; he doesn’t want anything to change.

He wants to remember what it was like to be 22, completely sure that Dennis was his best friend. His person. And he wants to remember what it felt like to be absolutely sure that Dennis felt the same way about him.

He only lets himself have doubts at night. During the day, he studies the old pictures. He’s sure of his mission. He’s surprisingly well suited to the meticulous work of identifying and purchasing furniture, decorations, and knick-knacks to fill the empty space.

He wants Dennis to love it. It’s too satisfying imagining Dennis walking in, going speechless, getting emotional, and then showering him with compliments, to consider any other possibility. 

—

He can’t find a lot of pictures of his old room, but he remembers exactly what it looked like. It consisted of the essentials: a bed (no sheets), a bedside table, a dresser, and a chair. Pictures of his parents hung beside crosses, stark against the white walls.

It was the coldest room in the apartment, so it makes perfect space to turn it into an exercise room. Mac has always wanted a home gym. Dennis has been complaining about paying for their gym membership, too, so, problem solved.

—

Once he makes the decision to turn his bedroom into a gym, Mac assumes that they’ll share Dennis’s room. Dennis’s sex tapes burned in the fire. Mac can’t replace those, so he’ll put his clothes in the drawers. A queen size bed seems kind of big for one person, anyway - sharing is reasonable, and efficient.

At night, now, when they sleep side by side in Dee’s bed, Mac is comforted by Dennis’s solid warmth. He likes how soft Dennis’s face goes when he sleeps, and he likes the way Dennis always clings to something. Usually he hugs a pillow or a blanket to his chest, but sometimes, when he’s somewhere between sleep and awake, his arms reach out blindly, and find Mac.


End file.
